The Growth Choice

  • Pastor Duane Cross
  • Nov 15, 2009
  • Series: Life's Healing Choices

LIFE’S HEALING CHOICES

“The Growth Choice”

  Pastor Duane Cross |  11.15.09

             

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”      

                                                                                   (Philippians 3:10-14)

The Growth Choice

“I reserve a daily time with God for Bible reading, self-examination and prayer in order to know God and his will for my life and to gain the power to follow his will.”

 

“Continue to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”                                                                                                               (2 Peter 3:18)

1.  Fix a daily time with God. 

2.  Fill my mind with Scripture. 

 

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written, man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’.”                                                                       (Matthew 4:4)

 

“The truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says.”                                                                     (James 1:25)

 

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”                 (Romans 12:2) 

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts  on what is true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8(NLT)

 

3.  Focus on the goal line, not the past 

 

“I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his.” (Philippians 3:12(NCV)

 

“No, I’m still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.”                                                            (Philippians 3:13-14(TLB)

 

4.  Face and forsake my failures quickly. 

 

“Let us examine our ways and test them and return to the Lord.’” (Lamentations 3:40)

 

5.  Flee temptation.

 

6.  Form an on-going support group.

“We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to ecourage each other.”                               (Hebrews 10:25(GW)

 

7.  Follow Christ to the finish line.

“I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.”            (Philippians 1:6(NLT)

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